A Place for Magic
by RavenclawMerlinFan
Summary: "So, what should we do?" Arthur continued, sighing. "Accept magic, or let Mordred die?" What if Merlin had made another descision? Could this be the start of a new era? WARNING: Contains spoilers from S05E05. AU, two-shot!
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, this is just a quick two-shot that I finally got round to writing. I began it as soon as S05E05 ended, but only got round to finishing it now! **

**DISCLAIMER: I totally own Merlin! *cough*inmydreams*cough***

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"What will you do?"

Merlin sat across from Arthur, leaning against the sloping bank. His kaleidoscopic blue eyes seemed to bore straight into Arthur, and not for the first time he saw a curious sense of something in them. A strange sense of wisdom, and a slightly haunted look.

"I… don't know." Arthur thought for a moment before slumping back against the log he was using as a pillow. "My heart says do anything I can to save Mordred, but I have seen what misery sorcery brings. Before my father outlawed magic, Camelot was almost destroyed by sorcery. In my own time Morgana has used it for nothing _but_ evil…" He trailed off with a sigh. What could he do? It was bring magic back to the kingdom, and face potential anarchy and the fall of the kingdom, or let Mordred die. The young knight had become like a son to him over the past few weeks, with his eager-to-please nature and strong determination. He remembered the way that he seemed to glow with pride when Arthur praised him for the simplest things. He knew that it would be almost impossible to knowingly sentence the boy to death. Somehow he had wormed his way into the young king's heart.

"What would you do, in my place?" He looked up at Merlin, who had been watching him with an almost unsettling and unwavering gaze throughout his musings. The young man seemed to jump, as if surprised that Arthur would ask him.

"Me?" Arthur fought to urge to roll his eyes. Who else could he be asking? "I'm just a lackey, a maker of beds…"

"Lackeys can be wise," Arthur joked. He looked at Merlin seriously, but the manservant seemed to be avoiding his gaze. He wanted Merlin's opinion, as a friend and an advisor, not just as his manservant. The young servant in question stared down at his hands, which seemed to be shaking slightly. Arthur narrowed his eyes. What was Merlin hiding from him? "It's not like you to be silent." He said, half joking and half serious.

"Kingdom's future's at stake," he muttered.

"And a man's life," Arthur reminded him.

Shaking his head, Merlin said "You must protect Camelot; protect the world you've spent your life building. A just and fair kingdom for all." Arthur may have been imagining it, but he thought he heard Merlin's voice crack slightly on the last word, as if it was hard for him to say the words. Maybe he just saw Mordred like a brother, and shared the same views as Arthur about letting him die. But there was something in his eyes, that same, haunted look…

"You'd have me sacrifice a friend?" Arthur asked him, regarding Merlin with the same intensity that the young man had given him before.

Merlin opened and closed his mouth a few times before continuing. Usually Arthur would have laughed or made a joke about Merlin looking like a fish, but he needed to know the answer. He needed Merlin to tell him what to do, and guide him, as he had always done. Not that he would ever admit it of course. "I would have you become the king you are destined to be." There he was again about destinies. The man always seemed to spout some prophetic nonsense when Arthur wanted a straight answer out of him.

Arthur leant forward, a new sense of urgency to get an answer out of his friend suddenly overwhelming him. "If I do save Mordred, all my father's work will be for nothing; sorcery will reign in Camelot. Is that what you'd want?"

Merlin did not reply. Arthur could distinctly see him shaking now, and regarded him with slightly narrowed eyes, slightly worried about his friend. "Maybe my father was wrong, perhaps the old ways are not as evil as we thought." As he said this, he looked at Merlin to see his reaction.

There was something new in his eyes now, a flicker of… was it _hope? _But then it died, replaced by a troubled look. "So, what should we do?" Arthur continued, sighing. "Accept magic, or let Mordred die."

Merlin seemed to be struggling with himself, letting out a shaky breath. He glanced around, as if looking for the answer, still avoiding the king's gaze. As he looked at the fire, the flames reflected off his eyes, and Arthur saw that they were glassy, filled with unshed tears. Arthur did not press him for an answer, simply watched and waited. Merlin looked younger and more vulnerable than he had ever seen him, apart from when he had held the dying dragonlord in his arms.

Trembling, Merlin finally looked into Arthur's eyes, and as a single tear slid down his cheek, he spoke. "There is something I have to tell you."

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**Second part will be uploaded soon! Please R&R! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I still only own Merlin in my dreams... :'(**

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"I… I don't know exactly how to say this…" Merlin whispered.

"Merlin, just speak." Arthur leaned forwards towards the young warlock. Merlin took a few shaky breaths as he struggled with what to say.

"I have magic."

For years to come, Merlin knew that he would never forget the expression on Arthur's face. The mixture of confusion, disbelief and shock on the king's face caused him to wear a very odd expression.

Encouraged by the lack of anger in Arthur's features, Merlin continued. "I… I know it will be… hard, to say the least, to get your head around this, so I think… I think the best way of explaining will be just to show you."

Placing his hands on either side of the king's temples, Merlin allowed to familiar surge of magic to course through his veins and flow from his fingertips into Arthur. He allowed him to see every time that he had done something using magic to save someone in Camelot, usually Arthur himself. As the memories passed into Arthur, Merlin relived them, one by one. He showed Arthur countless occasions where he had used his magic to heal, trip bandits, throw arrows off course.

Suddenly the power of his magic increased. Other memories that he had been hiding surged through him with a new sense of urgency, a new level of power. He saw Agravaine's death, the king's uncle's lifeless body on the floor of the cave. He felt Uther's last moments again after his healing spell backfired. No, he did not want Arthur to see these things yet… _No!_ Slowly, Merlin was losing control. Recent memories and memories he barely knew he had poured into Arthur, his very soul being opened up. He relived Morgana's poisoning, his kiss with Freya, Balinor's death… Freya's death.

Random feelings, emotions, events rushed through him into Arthur. Merlin could feel himself slipping as everything became darker… darker…

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Arthur gave a gasp as he resurfaced from the depths of Merlin's memories. Then his muscles gave way and he collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. As his mind struggled to form some coherent thoughts, Arthur struggled back into a sitting position, still shaking. _Merlin… magic. Merlin, magic. Merlin magic?! _

He knew that Merlin had, quite literally, poured out his soul to him. The king had felt the warlock lose control as the memories had flowed faster and faster into his head of people he knew and people he didn't. One thing was in all of them though. Merlin's eyes, the colour of molten gold, staring out at him as his tongue muttered words of the old religion. And he knew that Merlin had and would never use magic for evil. He knew everything about his manservant now. His whole life, everything he had experienced, every emotion. Finally, after years of being an ignorant –and arrogant– prat, he finally understood Merlin. And he knew how he felt.

Arthur's heart clenched as he felt all of Merlin's pain, and his loneliness. All the regret and the heartbreak that he had suffered that still haunted him every day. And all the time the young man had to keep up a façade so he would never be found out. He had to play the innocent, happy, bumbling manservant, while all the time he was so _powerful_.

And Arthur knew just how powerful Merlin was. In amongst everything else, Arthur had heard the druid prophecy about Merlin. He was Emrys, the one that Morgana herself feared. A man born with magic. He could not punish Merlin for who, or what he was. The young man had never chosen to practice magic; it was a part of him.

Arthur closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to process everything. His head reeled from experiencing so many memories and emotions in such a short amount of time, and as a wave of nausea passed through him he struggled not to be sick.

Just then he heard a groan from behind him. With a jolt, Arthur remembered that Merlin was still there. He spun around to see his manservant sprawled on the floor. Without hesitation Arthur went over and helped him to sit up. Merlin was shaking, and his face was so pale that he looked ghostly in the dying light of the fire. Arthur handed him the water skin and helped him to drink.

"Is… is there anything that you saw that you have questions about?" Merlin whispered nervously. Arthur knew how much it meant to Merlin, his reaction to the young man's magic. It had been what he had dreamed of for most of the decade he had been in Camelot. A life with no more lies. A life of peace.

"No, I don't. Merlin… I don't know if you realised, but you showed me everything. I think I know everything about your life," Arthur said shakily. "I know exactly why you did everything that you have done, and… and I accept you for it."

"Everything?" Merlin asked, just as shakily. Arthur nodded.

"I know about Agravaine, my father, how you poisoned Morgana… and I have so many things to apologise for. I have been so, so _blind_ Merlin, and I hope that you can forgive me for it," he said quietly, looking at the ground. "I know sorry can never make up for the things I have done to you and your kind… how I told you that your own father was not worth your tears, how… how I killed Freya…"

When he looked up, Merlin was shaking his head. "You could never have known–"

"But I should have noticed!" Arthur cut him off angrily. "All the time you have been here in Camelot, you have saved my life so many times and never once received recognition for it. You have been kidnapped, beaten, poisoned, stung and God knows what else and not _once_ did I notice! For heaven's sake, all this time I thought you were sneaking off to the tavern! How could I have been so naïve?"

There was a silence, the only noise being the birds that sang as the first sign of dawn appeared.

"Arthur, please. We can discuss this later, but we need to decide what to do about the Disir," Merlin said firmly.

"We don't even need to discuss that, of course I'm going to bring magic back to Camelot. I now know that magic is not evil, it is the person who wields the power that decides what they will use it for."

"But… what about Mordred? You said you'd seen everything, surely you know about the prophecy?"

"Yes, I do know. But even after knowing it, I could not condemn him to death. He has saved my life, more than once. Maybe he has changed? And anyway, I have you to protect me." Arthur attempted a small smile. "Now come on, let's go and meet the Disir." He stood up. Merlin tried to follow but immediately keeled over. Arthur caught him.

"Sorry, I'm weak from using so much magic," Merlin muttered as he tried to scramble up again.

Arthur stopped him. "Come on, even great warlocks need help now and again," he said, wrapping Merlin's arm around him and helping him to walk. Merlin leant on him as they began to slowly head back to the cave.

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"You have returned. Is your descision made?" One of the Disir spoke, her voice echoing through the cave.

"It is." Arthur spoke firmly. "I accept your offer. I shall bring magic back to Camelot. I have realised the error of my father's ways, and my own, and I have been enlightened to the true meaning of magic."

"You have made your descision."

"Sealed your fate."

"And that of your kingdom." The three Disir spoke in turn. There was a silence before they spoke again as one.

"You have passed the judgement of the Disir, and for that, you shall be rewarded. Camelot shall prosper, and the land of Albion shall be united. Farewell, Arthur Pendragon."

Merlin still could not believe it. Arthur had accepted his magic, without even question? He supposed it was a good thing he had lost control and told Arthur everything. Maybe that was just the best way, to be truthful.

His magic was recovering and it glowed inside him, warm, golden and happy. Arthur's destiny was on track, and whatever trials they faced, they could face together, the king and his warlock.

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**I'm not happy about how the second part came out, but I can't be bothered to rewrite it, so here you guys go :P  
Please R&R! **


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